Will Present Chapman’s 2009 Schweitzer Award
to AIDS Pediatrician for Work in Africa


McGovern Will Also Hold Press Conference and Offer Public Talk and Q&A


ORANGE, Calif., August 18, 2009 – Chapman University will welcome George S. McGovern, former U.S. Senator and 1972 Presidential candidate, who will present the university’s highest award for service, the Albert Schweitzer Award of Excellence, at Chapman’s Opening Convocation on Wednesday, August 26. The event, which officially opens the Chapman academic year, begins at 8:30 a.m. in the Hutton Sports Center on the campus in Orange. Later in the morning, Sen. McGovern will hold a press conference and offer a public talk on his new book, Abraham Lincoln.

This year’s Schweitzer Award will be presented by Sen. McGovern to Dr. Anthony Garcia-Prats of the Baylor International Pediatric AIDS Initiative (www.bayloraids.org) for his remarkable achievements in bringing quality medical care to the children of Lesotho and Tanzania. Dr. Garcia-Prats is an assistant professor of pediatrics with BIPAI, which is affiliated with the Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children’s Hospital. The organization provides HIV/AIDS care and treatment to more than 30,000 children and families worldwide. Dr. Garcia-Prats has been a doctor with BIPAI’s Pediatric AIDS Corps since August 2006, served in the Lesotho Children’s Clinical Center of Excellence through February 2009 and currently is leading a scale-up of the new BIPAI center in Mbeya, Tanzania.

“Dr. Garcia-Prats and his crucial work epitomize the devotion to humankind that characterized the life of Albert Schweitzer, whom we look to as Chapman’s ‘guiding spirit,’” said Marvin Meyer, Ph.D., director of Chapman’s Albert Schweitzer Institute (www.chapman.edu/schweitzerinstitute). “The presence of Sen. George McGovern, especially due to his well-known fight against world hunger, further elevates this momentous occasion – made even more special because of our audience of new Chapman students and their families.”

Sen. McGovern will hold a press conference after the convocation, at 10 a.m. He is happy to meet with the media and answer questions on any topic, including his personal history, his position on Iraq, the health care debate, his book Abraham Lincoln, and more. Please RSVP to 714-628-7271 or platt@chapman.edu to attend the press conference.

Sen. McGovern will also offer a public talk, “Why Another Book About Lincoln?,” in Chapman’s Memorial Hall at 11:30 a.m. His new book, Abraham Lincoln (The American Presidents Series), will be on sale at the event, and he will hold a book-signing following the talk. Admission is free and open to the public. Information: 714-997-6961. Chapman University is located at One University Drive in Orange, Calif.

George McGovern has been a longtime advocate for global nutrition needs, having been appointed by President John F. Kennedy in 1961 as worldwide director of the Food for Peace program. He was appointed United Nations Ambassador on World Hunger in 2001, and in 2008, he and Senator Bob Dole were named World Food Prize laureates for their work to promote global school nutrition programs.

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